The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1887-02-02
JOSH COBB AND his DOCS.
An Eccentrie Coon-fzunter,s LIE spa
Sudden Death.


There never was q greater coon.
santer than old Josh Cobb. who be-
Sed everywhere in this part OF the
'.alc, and yet nowhere In particular, =
.Asa an old-timer, who remembered his
-uliect well.
As for that. there never was a bet
ter hunter OF anything In the shape OF
~! game than Josh was. His long.
agile barrelled rife, his tall, eaunt
= -.ire, and the sharp-eyed yellow dogs
,n4i always trailed at his heels were
i. ects familiar In every town, village.
IA camp from the Lehigh to the Che.
ssng and the Delaware to the Susque-
hanna 80 or 40 years ago.
There was mystery about his vel
low dogs that no one could ever solve.
People in those days, who had known
Josh for 40 years and. more. never saw
him without the yellow dogs following
| close In his tracks. yet they knew that
| the dogs could not be the same ones
| year In and year out.
! No one else was known to have a
dog OF the same breed as Josh's. It
was long-llmbed and long-haired with an
eye as Wild and sharp as VOLTS. Josh's
| dogs never made friends with. anyone
| besides himself. When he stopped they
stopped. and never moved on until he
did.
/" During the GO years that josh
travelled about In the woods these
yellow dogs were his constant COM
/" Naturally in all these years the
hunter must have had at least six
different generations of dogs, and they
must all have been bred and raised
Somewhere by himself.
! "a 4. - -
for einee his death, a quarter OF CEN
tury and more ago. no such dogs 90 his
| mysterious. wolf-like yellow ones have
ever been seen in this region.
! They were equally useful on the
deer trail, IN the fox chase. after bear.
on the rabbit track, In the pheasant
hunt, or after the willy coon. They would
| never hunt with a party unless Josh
| WAS In charge OF Il. Josh never had
! less than three Of these strange, ,ln-
friendly animals at his heels. Free
| quentiy he had six or seven.
. Sometimes he would not be seen In
any OF the villages for months mt a time,
and his appearance IN town nfter these
long stays In the woods was always
sigma liked by his going on an extended
| spree. He had but few words to say to
any one, even when drunk, but he was
determined In his purpose, and whatever
| he made up his mind to do, drunk or
sober, no one could prevent him from
| doing
T. !" When he was In liquor his dogs
| watched about him constantly.
"a Once he came into the old Egypt
clearing and got drunk. He had Ave
dogs with him. A big bushwhacker
named Elijah Hoar was there, also
drunk. Hoar was the terror OF every
plncs where he happened to be when
drunk. He was quarrelsome, tyrannical
and brutal.
..On this occasion no tried to stir up
a quarrel with unoffending Josh Cobb.
and finally struck him. Instantly all
five of tho dogs were upon the bully.
He fought his way out OF the barroom,
and. as he went out Of the door. shot
and killed one Of the dogs, Josh's fay
orite, named Grad
Josh got sober next day. He had
tho dead dog buried, but never said a
word or made any sign indicating that
he had any feeling In the halter. He
sAon hssse,i hlsfsEo and wont baekto tho
woo.A VIII, Iiii Remaining dogs.
+" fho day that Josh loft the clearing
E...ah lIoar had gone back to hls bark
10 oscrncar Nebo Swamp. H didn't
6:,.s.e In to tho cabin that night, and
=. morning one OF the men on the Job
vcat out to see what tho reason was
10 sound Honr lying on his face by tho
STUMP OF a big henlock tree. Hewas
dead. with rifle ball through his
heart
There was never any evidence dis
covered that. warranted the arrest of
any ono OF, the charge OF having killed
tho bark.peeler but no one ever had any
lonbt as to who it was. Josh Cobb
had avenged the death OF his dog. as
sure as tiie dog was dead.
"Olds Joshis last hunt was in the
month Of Fobrunry. 1856. That WA a
,avorlte coon.hunfing month Of his.
Or rather coon-kllllng month. for az
40 knew where he could 90 any time
md get the game he wanted, taore
sasn't much hunting about 1t.
g About that time Of year the coons
,re sim huddiIng together In their Win
.crnests in hollow trees. Thirty wears
,ro coon skins had q good mark ct value. (
md old Josh always made raid 10.
Yard the end Of Winter.
laking ms aogs one 9ay nc WehI
,ver to Nebo Swamp. and In short
amc located eigns trees. eacn one OF
.nich. MS wooucrait assured ann, coli
.ainca iamliy Oh coons siioo1ilg hway
ll'e Hollow lfuns' ae . caI aowh one
se AFTER another. ana ms dogs soon
;sn.ed out the coohs anu made short
7ork OF them.
josh had relied seven o. tne Trees,
ma AZ coons were lying ABOUT on tne
low, ready 70 Do Batherea up ana
'Slnneo.
he SGT 70 WORK on tne elghth Tree
~aich was wnas was knowh - pep